Response Innovation Lab

The U-RIL team is looking for 2 volunteers based in Nakivale and Palabek to support the team in implementing the Uganda Skilling Exchange (USE) pilot in Palabek and Nakivale refugee settlements. The volunteers will extend the team’s presence in the settlement and act as a bridge between the RIL team and settlement stakeholders. See full application details here: https://lnkd.in/dsDTz5Cq Application closes on 3rd December 2024.

As a part of the USAID-funded Activity, Uthabiti, the Uganda Response Innovation Lab (U-RIL) developed the Uganda Skilling Exchange (USE) web-platform: https://lnkd.in/dZR-Zs2J 💡USE provides a central hub where organizations can share information on skilling opportunities they offer for refugees and host communities and where those looking to upskill can access this information, filtered by location and topic of training. 💡The platform was developed and tested through stakeholder consultations and several rounds of testing in 2023 and populated with data on skilling institutions in 2024. It currently holds information on 143 institutions providing training on 26 topics in and near 12 settlements and Kampala. 💡This week the Uganda Skilling Exchange pilot was launched in Palabek, Lamwo District  to test the USE platform in the refugee response. This is the first step of a progressive roll-out of USE in the response - shall the pilot be successful. The objectives of this first in-context pilot are to: - Test functionality of the platform with the intended end-users of USE - Verify the relevance of the platform in the refugee response with all stakeholder groups at a local and national level - Gather insights on all the steps of the journey of a USE-platform user (from learning about USE to completing a skilling programme) - Test different “user acquisition” pathways - Explore partnerships and sustainability models for USE 💡During the pilot launch, the USE platform was introduced to the settlement stakeholders including skilling providers and youth groups. The skilling institutions were invited to express interest to participate in the pilot which will run until June 2025. U-Learn Uganda, Save the Children Uganda, Save the Children US, Max Vieille, Mwesigwa Bikie Isharaza, Marijke Deleu, Kullein Ankunda, Lisette Gotink, Rhian Mikisa

Dear humanitarian and innovation professionals, Response Innovation Lab needs your help! 🙏 Over the past few years, we have been building and enhancing data visualization tools to help individuals and organizations better access information about humanitarian innovation ecosystems in the places where we work. We have recently released a new version of our SMILE database that incorporates brand new features such as our first Ecosystem Index, a way to "score" the scale, scope and diversity of the organizations engaged directly or indirectly in humanitarian action and social innovation in a particular context. You can see our beta version with data from the Uganda refugee response here: https://lnkd.in/e-e-QhTV. We will soon be posting an Open Source version on GitHub so that the tool can be replicated in any context by anyone willing. We need you 🫵 to help us understand whether or not such a tool could help you or your organization in its work through filling a short, anonymous survey: https://lnkd.in/eRPb-e9j Please share this post to people in your network who might find this initiative useful -- our friends at the Università Ca' Foscari Venezia (and Sofia Scquizzato in particular) need as much data as possible to help us properly evaluate this tool. Thank you! ❤️

#Throwback to the Accountability to Affected Population (AAP) Learning event and launch of the AAP in Action programme (AAPA) spotlight! The AAP task team convened important actors in the #refugeeresponse to share insights and exchange good practices on how to mainstream AAP within the protracted refugee crisis context. It was also the occasion to launch the AAPA spotlight, 'Mainstreaming Accountability Culture in a Refugee Response Context' that shares about AAPA’s innovative approach, implementation process and achievements, and draws lessons to inform organisations aiming to achieve greater accountability to the populations they serve. 🤓 Read it here: https://lnkd.in/dEuwppfK Thank you everyone for coming! UK in Uganda UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency Office of the Prime Minister Uganda RELON UGANDA Finn Church Aid AVSI Foundation Tutapona GRTR-Uganda ADRA Uganda Alight ACTION FOR DEVELOPMENT INITIATIVE (AFODI) CAFOMI Uganda Hunger Fighters Uganda Lutheran World Federation Medical Teams International Norwegian Refugee Council Danish Refugee Council / Dansk Flygtningehjælp Oxfam in Uganda Plan International Uganda World Vision Uganda. ZOA World Food Programme War Child Raphael Okoropot Brian Gitta International Rescue Committee

[#Kaya Partner Appreciation]: We are grateful to amazing #Kaya partners whose learning resources are available and accessible on Kaya! Your organisation can also join our over 50 partners currently using Kaya portals - #Create, #Share and #Prepare to reach hundreds of thousands of humanitarians across the globe! 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗞𝗮𝘆𝗮 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼 𝘀𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻: https://lnkd.in/gw9TZGip #ReachHumanitarians #ProfessionalDevelopment #LearningandDevelopment #SkillDevelopment #OrganisationalSupport 🙌  Save the Children UK, Data Friendly Space (DFS), The Stimson Center, CALP Network, Humanity & Inclusion, World Vision, Somali Resilience Program (SomReP), Response Innovation Lab, @Committed to Good, The Alliance for Child Protection in Humanitarian Action

🌍👦🏽👧🏾 On the occasion of World’s Children Day 2024, we are excited to share an interesting innovation journey of how a simple non-technological innovation can be scaled from one context to another for the well-being of children.  ⁉️In late 2021, Nepal Innovation Lab mapped the key challenges faced by young children in Nepal aftermath of COVID-19: increase in suicide rates amongst children, alarming surge in cases of mental health issues, and limited interaction with their peers aftermath of COVID-19 lockdown.  💡The team ideated with subject matter experts and children on how can they develop simple tools to educate children on key child protection issues in a fun way! That led to the development of a scenario-based strategy board game for children in Nepal. As board games are not common in Nepal, this simple innovation was developed on 3E principles: Entertain, Empower, and Educate.  🚀Following an overwhelming response from over 53,000 children during the pilot phase, the boardgame was quickly adapted and piloted in Somalia with technical and financial support from World Vision Somalia and Response Innovation Lab. At present, the boardgame is being rolled out in 21 schools in Puntland Somalia where during the phase 1 of the piloting 3,410 children experienced the Somali version of the game to learn about the key child protection issues in a playful manner.  ⏭️The boardgame is scheduled to be piloted in Vanuatu and other countries in early 2025. #ListenToTheFuture #Innovation4All #InclusiveEducation World Vision Somali World Vision International Nepal Somali Resilience Program (SomReP) Nishant Das Arnav Bhadra Rupendra Aryal Owora Paul Thatcher N. Bagezile Dube Utsav Kharel

To share learnings around Market Systems Development (MSD) implememtation in Uganda's refugee response, the Uganda Response Innovation Lab brought together #MSD, #selfreliance and #financialinclusion experts for a roundtable discussion. The discussion included a reflection on lessons from the Uthabiti Activity that are captured as part of the new Uthabiti Business Partnerships report - which will be published in the coming weeks! A lively discussion ensued on the documented challenges, opportunities, and recommendations and their relevance to the wider Uganda refugee response. Stay tuned for the publication of the report! Uthabiti is a USAID BHA-funded Activity facilitating diverse resilient and sustainable livelihood strategies for refugees and host communities in Isingiro and Lamwo districts. Uthabiti focuses on promoting livelihood opportunities in primarily off-farm activities while also addressing critical gaps in the selected value chains that limit economic activity, including access to skills, energy and financial services. Thank you, to Uganda Market Systems Development Network, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, AVSI Foundation, Swisscontact, Mercy Corps, Grameen Foundation, USAID, Save the Children Uganda #CRRFSecretariatUganda, for the insightful conversation and recommendations on how to generate learning on MSD in Uganda’s refugee response. #Evidenceinpractice #MSD #Refugeeresponse

As a part of the USAID-funded Activity, Uthabiti, the Uganda Response Innovation Lab (U-RIL) developed the Uganda Skilling Exchange (USE) web-platform: https://lnkd.in/dZR-Zs2J 💡USE provides a central hub where organizations can share information on skilling opportunities they offer for refugees and host communities and where those looking to upskill can access this information, filtered by location and topic of training. 💡The platform was developed and tested through stakeholder consultations and several rounds of testing in 2023 and populated with data on skilling institutions in 2024. It currently holds information on 143 institutions providing training on 26 topics in and near 12 settlements and Kampala. 💡This week the Uganda Skilling Exchange pilot was launched in Palabek, Lamwo District  to test the USE platform in the refugee response. This is the first step of a progressive roll-out of USE in the response - shall the pilot be successful. The objectives of this first in-context pilot are to: - Test functionality of the platform with the intended end-users of USE - Verify the relevance of the platform in the refugee response with all stakeholder groups at a local and national level - Gather insights on all the steps of the journey of a USE-platform user (from learning about USE to completing a skilling programme) - Test different “user acquisition” pathways - Explore partnerships and sustainability models for USE 💡During the pilot launch, the USE platform was introduced to the settlement stakeholders including skilling providers and youth groups. The skilling institutions were invited to express interest to participate in the pilot which will run until June 2025. U-Learn Uganda, Save the Children Uganda, Save the Children US, Max Vieille, Mwesigwa Bikie Isharaza, Marijke Deleu, Kullein Ankunda, Lisette Gotink, Rhian Mikisa

We’re pleased to announce the upcoming release of the Good Agricultural Practices Training Manual, developed in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation (MOAI) and Somali National University. This comprehensive resource will help in equipping farmers and staff across Somalia with knowledge and skills on Good Agricultural Practices to increase production. Stay tuned for the release! We are grateful to all our donors European Union Embassy of Sweden Sida USAID USAID - Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) Innovation Norway Response Innovation Lab The World Bank FAO World Food Programme for your commitment in building resilience across Somalia #Agriculture #Somalia

RIL's host in Somalia, the Somali Resilience Program (SomReP) has just published a new strategy that is a model of clarity and purpose for a deeply bold and complex program. Contributing to their objectives will be a key priority for the SomRIL platform the work of our Central Support Unit for years to come.